Recently, a higher responsiveness and a higher integration of integrated circuits used for electronic devices such a computers have been in greater demand. Accordingly, the power consumption of an integrated relative to the circuit has been increased, and the temperature of the electronic component in operation has been increased. In order to cool the electronic component, a radiating device has been used.
A heat pipe has been known as an example of a radiating device for cooling an electronic component. A heat pipe is obtained by reducing the internal pressure in an air tight container formed by closing both ends of a pipe, and by sealing a heat carrier such as water of alcohol, called a working fluid into the container. At a heated portion of the heat pipe, the working fluid evaporates into steam or gas which moves away from the heated portion of the heat pipe and toward a cooler portion of the heat pipe where it condenses again into liquid to dissipate heat. The liquid returns to the heated portion because of capillary action. By the repetition of this action, heat received from an electronic component at the heated portion is radiated to the atmosphere at the cooler portion of the heat pipe.
A heat pipe is placed on a top surface of an electronic component in order to cool the electronic component such as a semiconductor integrated circuit package. Since a conventional heat pipe has a circular or an oval cross section, it contacts the electronic component along a line. Therefore, not much heat is transmitted from the electronic component to the heat pipe.
Conventionally, one heat pipe is used for one electronic component to cool the respective electronic component. Therefore, a large number of heat pipes have been used in a device including a large number of electronic components, which leads to higher production costs.